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ON THE RISE
Hip-hop artist, Lyrical Chris, delivers his latest single, “Level 5,” an ode to his hip-hop genre of “5D rap.” The emerging artist invites listeners to his musical universe, where high vibrational, non-religious rap transcends to a whole new level.
Born and raised in Tifton, Georgia, Lyrical Chris knew he wanted to start rapping from early childhood. “My big brother used to rap, and I tried to emulate him,” shares the artist. “As I grew older, I wanted to rap all the time. At school, I had freestyle battles with my friends. At home, I listened to instrumentals and figured out how to be the best rapper I wanted to be. Those periods helped me develop into who I am as Lyrical Chris.”
When he first got started, Lyrical Chris went by “Lil Crazy.” He underwent a transformation in both sound and name as he started listening to lyrical rappers like Lupe Fiasco and Kendrick Lamar. “It made me want to change my name, because I was more lyrical sided than generic, basic rap,” explains Chris.
In 2021, Lyrical Chris debuted his first single. “Once I heard that beat, I started recording,” he shares of the experience. From there, his music took off. In 2024, he released his debut album, Prewrite. Now, in 2025, he’s working on the next project, Rough Draft, and releasing his latest single, “Level 5,” along with a music video.
Since its release, “Level 5” has garnered positive feedback by excited listeners. “People are loving it,” tells Lyrical Chris. “They really get an understanding of what I mean by Level 5. It’s about putting you in a fifth dimensional consciousness. Good times and good vibes. As you play it over and over, it brings great things to you in life.”
Demonstrating an evolution from his original sound, “Level 5” introduces a whole new sound to the industry. “People are saying it’s different than what they hear in mainstream rap right now,” Lyrical Chris explains. “I want people to get that I’m creating a new genre. I’m meeting you on Level 5, not the traditional Level 3 of 3D. It’s a new level of rap I’m bringing myself and other rappers to. It’s heaven on earth.”
Lyrical Chris’s musical movement of “5D rap” follows ten rules, which are described on his website, in each song. To create his original sound, Lyrical Chris explores instrumentals until he finds one that speaks to him. “As soon as I heard the one for Level 5, I created the hook. Everything else went along with it. I rapped things in my head as I heard the beat—the subject matter, how I wanted the lyrics to form, the chorus, the verses. Then I played around with the instrumentals for the bridge and outro.” Instead of working with a producer, Lyrical Chris enjoys using instrumentals that have already been produced. “It’s better when they have material out and I can look at it like a buffet—they put food out, and I try and see if I like it, then I get more of it.”
In addition to being a monumental rapper, Lyrical Chris is a plant-based eater. “I’ve been vegan for eight years. Being on that diet has helped me be a better artist. I’ve written better songs and have a clearer mind on how I want to create. There aren’t a million things in my head interfering with what I want to put out. It lets me zero in on what I’m trying to do and want to do, my vision as a rapper.”
Make sure to stay connected to Lyrical Chris on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.
ON THE RISE
Clinton Brand III – better known as CBIII – is a California-based rapper. His new single, titled “I Won’t Quit,” is a motivational and relatable message for everyone “going through it.”
The track, with a beat by Tunna Beats, has a Blurry Face vibe. It starts with a violin and the soft “ahh”s of featured singer Alex Brinkley. When the beat drops, piano, bass and drums enter along with CBIII’s lyrical meditations on “overthinking, contemplating, and debating” why he “won’t quit.”
As the final line makes clear, the song is a study in contradictory mindsets. There’s the fear of failure – what if I’m not good enough? – and then the contrast of relentlessness as stated in the title.
The lyrics of the song’s final quattrain are especially strong. Beginning with an example of CBIII’s wordplay (phenomenal and astronomical anomaly), the final message is one of inspiration: I’m tired of this, so I’m going to make it better.
This struggle with nagging self-doubt and overthinking makes “I Won’t Quit” very relatable. In the end, CBIII wants listeners to be inspired, to not give in when they find themselves in similar circumstances.
Brand’s inspiration for “I Won’t Quit” was intensely personal. Following the death of his parents at a young age, he was raised by his grandmother and then was placed in foster care. A recent visit found his grandmother’s memory fading; this was painful, considering that she had once been his biggest supporter.
This episode left him feeling abandoned, in a dark place.
He says, “I wrote the song ‘I Won’t Quit’ because at that time I was suicidal. I didn’t have nobody else to turn to because my grandma didn’t really care anymore.”
The vulnerability expressed in the lyrics made CBIII unsure if he wanted to release the song at all. He says, “I actually sat on the song for like five months before even thinking about releasing it because it’s so close to home that I wasn’t even sure if I was going to have the courage to share it.”
Now that the song is out, its vulnerability is its strength. Brand’s struggle is real, and the general contours – missing family support, doubting yourself, knowing you need to persevere – will be familiar to many.
In addition to his personal desire to live up his dream of greatness, Brand has another reason not to give up: his younger brother, who is currently in foster care. Knowing his brother looks up to him, he wants to remind him that giving in to doubt is the easy way out.
Brand says, “I want to encourage him, to show him that if you set your mind to it, bro, there’s nothing you can’t do.”
In the end, CBIII wants listeners to learn from his pain, to ask themselves, “What if I don’t give up?”
Stream “I Won’t Quit” now, wherever you listen to music.
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